Web Hosting Security Practices

Top 10 Web Hosting Security Practices

In addition to having a secure hosting provider, it is essential to apply web security practices on your own to protect your websites from security issues. Below, we explore the best methods to maintain web hosting security.

1. Perform Regular Backups

With backups, you can quickly restore a website that has been hacked or experienced problems. Perform manual backups of your data regularly or schedule automatic backups. We also recommend storing additional backups locally on your computer or disk. This is especially important if the web hosting provider only retains backups for a limited time.

2. Use SSL Encryption

SSL is important to ensure secure access to and from your website, protecting customers’ sensitive data. If your web hosting provider does not provide you with a free SSL certificate, you can purchase one from an SSL certificate authority.

When your website has an SSL certificate, the browser will display a lock icon next to the site URL, and visitors can click it to view certificate details.

3. Use SFTP Instead of FTP

We recommend using SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) instead of FTP (File Transfer Protocol). SFTP encrypts all data, including login credentials and files transferred during transmission. This prevents attackers from eavesdropping, manipulating, or stealing your data. SFTP also uses a different port than FTP, making it harder for attackers to target SFTP connections.

💡 Pro Tip: Consider transferring your files using SFTP clients like FileZilla.

4. Remove Unused Applications

Web application vulnerabilities, such as coding issues, misconfigured web servers, design flaws, or lack of form validation, can give criminals access to your websites. Therefore, it is essential to regularly monitor your applications and remove those that are unused or compromised. Removing obsolete and unused themes and plugins will also enhance WordPress security.

5. Change Passwords Regularly

Weak passwords can be easily compromised by attackers, putting your website and sensitive information at risk. We recommend changing passwords every three to six months. To simplify the process, use a password manager to generate and store all passwords. This can also prevent password fatigue and reuse of the same password for multiple accounts.

6. Install and Configure a Web Application Firewall

Web Application Firewalls (WAF) filter and monitor traffic between a web application and the Internet, block suspicious or malicious requests, and generate alerts for further investigation. They help protect web applications from cyberattacks like cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection.

Not all web hosting companies include a web application firewall with their services, so you may need to purchase one separately. Cloudflare's WAF is a great option. In addition to security advantages, it is easy to activate and has a free plan available. In addition to using an AI-based firewall to protect your virtual private server, Hostinger is fully compatible with Cloudflare.

7. Scan for Malware in Website Files

Malicious programs can create or modify files and steal information, such as passwords, thus harming your website and reputation. If your hosting provider does not offer integrated security tools, there are fortunately third-party programs that check for viruses on the website and remove any threats.

One of them is SiteGuarding, which searches for various types of malware, including unknown viruses and new threats. We also recommend installing WordPress security plugins to perform regular malware scans.

8. Constantly Update Software

To protect your website from potential attacks, update all software regularly. Software updates often contain security patches that fix previous vulnerabilities. Hackers often exploit outdated software to gain unauthorized access to websites and steal confidential information. It is also important to keep plugins, themes, and other website components up to date.

Important! Always back up your website before performing updates to avoid data loss or downtime.

9. Restrict Website Access to Unauthorized Users

Unauthorized access to a website can lead to data leaks or other malicious activities. To prevent unauthorized access to data, follow these practices:

• Use Two-Factor Authentication: Add an extra layer of security by using and requiring a second form of identification.
• Create User Roles: Control what specific users can and cannot do, preventing unauthorized access and actions.
• Use an Access Manager: If you work at an agency or collaborate with other freelancers, use the hosting account-sharing feature in hPanel to create and manage access.
• Create an Allowed IP List: Create a list of blocked URLs to limit access only to authorized IP addresses.

10. Use Additional Security Extensions

Website security extensions provide an additional layer of protection against various online threats, such as malware, phishing, and hacking attempts.

They can also offer features like ad blocking, script blocking, and cookie management to enhance website performance and user privacy.

Here are some browser extensions you can try:

• Malwarebytes Browser Guard: Keeps your online data safe by blocking trackers, malware, and scams.
• uBlock Origin: Blocks ads and trackers on websites. It also has advanced filtering features, allowing users to customize preferences and block specific elements on web pages.

Conclusion

Enhancing web hosting security is essential to protecting your company's reputation and confidential data. In this article, you have learned that finding a web hosting company with security protocols such as software security, SSL certificates, backups, and DDoS protection is the first step.

Additionally, it is important to follow web hosting security best practices, such as backing up website data, removing unused applications, regularly changing passwords, scanning for malware, and updating software regularly.